Regenerative Food Innovation: The Role of Agro-Food Chain By-Products and Plant Origin Food to Obtain High-Value-Added Foods

Abstract

Food losses in the agri-food sector have been estimated as representing between 30 and 80% of overall yield. The agro-food sector has a responsibility to work towards achieving FAO sustainable goals and global initiatives on responding to many issues, including climate pressures from changes we are experiencing globally. Regenerative agriculture has been discussed for many years in terms of improving our land and water. What we now need is a focus on the ability to transform innovation within the food production and process systems to address the needs of society in the fundamental arenas of food, health and wellbeing in a sustainable world. Thus, regenerative food innovation presents an opportunity to evaluate by-products from the agriculture and food industries to utilise these waste streams to minimise the global effects of food waste. The mini-review article aims to illustrate advancements in the valorisation of foods from some of the most recent publications published by peer-reviewed journals during the last 4–5 years. The focus will be applied to plant-based valorised food products and how these can be utilised to improve food nutritional components, texture, sensory and consumer perception to develop the foods for the future.

Keywords

• regeneration
• food innovation
• sustainability
• biomolecules
• nutrition
• wellbeing